CAPE TOWN, Jan 27: Mohammad Yousuf, the man who last year scored a world-record 1788 Test runs, has described Ricky Ponting as the world's best batsman because of his ability to destroy any bowling attack.

Yousuf said Ponting was every bit as good as modern batting legends like Vivian Richards and Brian Lara and named the Australia captain as the man most likely to break his record for most runs in a calendar year.

Yousuf said Ponting's ability to score heavily in all types of conditions all over the world was one of his greatest assets. "Ponting is the best player by quite a long way," Yousuf said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. "Everywhere he goes in the world it is the same. Sometimes we struggle in parts of the world where wickets favour the bowlers, but that does not happen to him. He used to have a little bit of trouble in places like India or Sri Lanka, but he has shown in the last few years that he now plays very well there. He is very strong, mentally and physically."

"The best batsmen I have seen in my lifetime are Vivian Richards and Brian Lara, and they are some of the best in history. I think Ricky is as good as any of them. I have never seen anything like him,” Yousuf expressed. — Agencies